This invention relates generally to the field of rear view mirrors for motor vehicles, and more particularly to a vehicle blind spot mirror.
Very soon after the invention of the motorized vehicle the need was identified for a means for a driver to see if other objects were in the rearward vicinity of the driver's vehicle. To this end rear view mirrors have been installed both inside the vehicle and outside the vehicle. Currently most automobiles have external rear view mirrors located at the bottom forward corner of the side window of the vehicle.
A common problem that drivers experience when looking at the driver side rear view mirror is that there is a space which extends roughly between the rear of the driver's car and the driver's door where the rear view mirror does not pick up another vehicle or object completely. This location is commonly known as the blind spot. A number of products are available in the marketplace that attempt to solve the problem of the blind spot. With regard to the driver's side external rear view mirror, some manufacturers are marketing small, spherically convex mirrors which attach to the existing rear view mirror of the vehicle and afford the driver a wider angle of view with respect to what can be seen to the side and rear of the vehicle. The problem with all of current designs of these mirrors is that they can be confusing in that the driver is looking at the normal rear view mirror and then also looking at the small convex mirror from time to time. The convex mirror makes objects look further away than they really are. Because the driver is looking at both mirrors it can be confusing to determine which view is accurate. Additionally, the add-on blind spot mirrors currently available are quite small, approximately one and one half inches square or round, and therefore the driver has to make a conscious effort to look for moving objects in this small mirror.